Set of 4 bin activators for extracting wheat from silos

An engineering consultancy asked ISERCO to carry out a project for a flour mill. The customer needed to install a new wheat cleaning and conditioning line.

ISERCO was responsible for providing the wheat extraction aid under the new storage silos.

The wheat is then conveyed by a dosing screw located under the bin activators.

The entire installation is located in an existing building.

ISERCO has designed and manufactured 4 bin activators in steel with a diameter of 1800.

Wheat extraction under silos can generate dust and risk of explosion (ATEX 21). This is why the 4 bin activators supplied by ISERCO are from the BINATEX 21 range. They are designed to discharge flammable powders stored in silos located in ATEX 21 or 22 zones. The interior of the BINATEX does not contain any ignition source.

Each bin activators supplied to this customer includes:

• A “U” profile food grade (FDA) TPE connection sleeve between counter flanges.
• Suspensions to absorb vibration filtration, so as not to generate vibrations in the silo.
• An internal deflector to return the vibrations to the product, which changes from a frictional state to a sliding state. The product flows easily towards the outlet of the bin activator.
• 2 ATEX 21 unbalanced motors to avoid the risk of ignition due to dust emission when emptying the silo.
• Earthing lugs and braids to ensure the safety of the installation against lightning, short circuits, etc.
• A translucent FDA sleeve to provide a seal between the vibrating bottom, which is dynamic, and the reclaimer, which is static. This ensures that vibrations from the bin activator are not transmitted to the downstream equipment. The sleeve is held in place by 2 stainless steel clamps.
• A manual safety register plate to isolate the bin activator when maintenance is required.

The steel is shot blasted and painted inside and out with food grade epoxy.

Shot blasting removes impurities, rust and other contaminants from the surface of the steel.

A layer of anti-rust and food-grade paint is then applied to the bin activators. This provides additional protection against corrosion and against the risk of contamination of wheat in contact with the bin activator surface.

Intervention and commissioning

Once the 4 bin activators had been delivered and assembled, an ISERCO team went to the end customer to make the final adjustments before commissioning.

The objectives of this intervention were to check the correct assembly of the 4 bin activators, to commission this equipment and to train the operators.

• Calibration of bin activators and mechanical verification with:
  • Measurement of dimensions.
  • Dimensions adjustment (tightening and loosening of all suspensions).
  • Checking the unbalance of the motor.
  • Fastening of grounding braids on each bin activator to ensure electrical continuity. These were attached to the bolts on the counter flanges.
• Commissioning of the bin activators with:
  • Wheat extraction tests under the silo. One test was carried out with 2 tonnes of product with a measured flow rate of 1.7 t/h. Another test was carried out with 28 tonnes of product.
  • The product flow at the outlet of the bin activators was correct.
  • Imbalance motor timing: 1 minute off / 10 seconds on.
  • No adjustment was required after commissioning of these bin activators.

• Industry: Food / Flour milling
• Product : Wheat
• Average bulk density during handling: 0.7
• Extraction rate: 1 to 3 t/h